Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1143: City-State of Elis

Although the Greeks did not know the destination of this massive Fleet, they were intimately familiar with the Emblem of Black Hair Entwined Around a Bident painted on its sails. In the past, they had only ever seen it on the Daonian Merchant Ships that came to trade. Now that it appeared on Warships, did this mean the barbarian kingdom across the Adriatic Sea was finally going to launch an attack on the Greek Mainland?

Regardless of the panic and suspicion among the Greek populace, the Daionian Fleet drove straight south without slowing down. It quickly crossed the entrance to the Gulf of Corinth and entered the waters of the West Coast of the Peloponnese. As dusk approached, the Fleet had to land early and prepare a camp. Since they could not reach the Southern Coast of Messenia today, continuing south would only lead to steep, narrow coastlines where docking would be difficult and the crews would be unable to rest.

The spot where the entire Fleet docked was the Northwestern Corner of the Peloponnese. The terrain here was relatively flat, a place historically known as the Region of Elis. It was famous throughout the Greek World because the Olympic Games were held here, and it housed the renowned temple of Zeus. Naturally, it was also home to two prominent city-states, Elis and Pisa, which had long been bitter enemies over the hosting rights for the Olympic Games.

The location where the Theonians landed fell squarely within the territory of Elis. Seeing dense clusters of ships swarming the coast and tens of thousands of soldiers rushing onto the beaches, the neighboring Greek residents were terrified. They gathered their families and fled inland.

The citizens of the City of Elis soon received the news and fell into a similar panic. Although they had little interaction with the Theonians, they had never provoked this western behemoth. Why had the Theonians sent an army to invade their territory without any warning?!

The Council urgently mobilized the citizens within their territory while holding emergency consultations. They even reached a chilling conclusion: rumor had it that the Theonians worshipped Hades and refused to acknowledge Zeus as the god king. Could this invasion be an attempt to destroy the temple of Zeus?

The Council members of Elis sorrowfully realized that if this were true, the people of Elis would have no choice but to fight to the death to defend their patron god, Zeus.

Just as the people of Elis were resigning themselves to a bleak future, they received an urgent notification from the city guards: a Daionian envoy had arrived.

Tisias, a Daionian Citizen and native of Tyndaris, had previously served several consecutive terms as a general of Tyndaris, earning immense prestige among his people. Later, responding to the demands of the public, he convened and presided over a citizens' assembly, ultimately allowing Tyndaris to peacefully integrate into the Kingdom of Daunia. For this, he became a Senator of the kingdom.

Now, Tisias strode to the center of the Elis Council hall with his chest held high. Looking at the eyes around him—filled with both anger and fear—he felt a surge of pride as a citizen of a great power. But he suppressed that arrogance, doing his best to put on a sincere expression. "Descendants of Zeus, respected citizens of Elis, I extend the most sincere apologies to you on behalf of the Kingdom of Daunia! Because it grew late during our Fleet's voyage, we were forced to dock temporarily to prevent any accidents, thereby entering your territory. But please rest assured that we will only rest for one night and leave tomorrow. We will not cause any harm to this land or its people. Furthermore, in light of the inconvenience caused by our abrupt arrival, Daunia will pay a sum of gold and silver as an overnight fee for our army, compensating Elis..."

Tisias's words left the Elis Council members skeptical, but the tension gripping their hearts finally eased.

A commotion swept through the hall. The Council members whispered among themselves for a good while before someone stood up and said, "Theonian, your abrupt actions have indeed caused Elis a great deal of trouble. However, if things are truly as you say, we are willing to forgive this transgression..."

Elis was not an easygoing city-state. Setting aside their decades-long conflict with Pisa, they had also fought several wars against the Spartans over the years. The only reason the Council members of Elis were being so reasonable now was because the Theonians had arrived so suddenly, and their army was so massive that Elis knew they could not possibly win a fight. They just wanted to be rid of this plague as quickly as possible.

Then, another Council member asked out of curiosity, "May I ask where your esteemed nation's army is heading?"

Tisias had been waiting for this exact question. He immediately countered, "Have you heard of the city of Tyndaris on the Island of Sicily?"

"Tyndaris... that should be the city-state established in the Northeastern Corner of Sicily with the support of the former Syracuse tyrant, Dionysius. Rumor has it that more than half of its citizens are from Messenia. Later, Tyndaris sought refuge with Daunia..." a Council member replied.

"Not sought refuge—the citizens of Tyndaris made a collective decision to join Daunia!" Tisias loudly corrected, before continuing, "When the people of Tyndaris joined the Sacred Kingdom of Daunia, King Davos made a promise: 'One day, I will help Messenia achieve independence and bring freedom to the enslaved Messenians.' However, shortly after that, due to the tides of war, Daunia signed a long-term peace treaty with Sparta. This promise was temporarily shelved—until this year, when the Spartans tore up their peace treaty with us—"

A gloating smile appeared on Tisias's face as he declared loudly, "King Davos finally has the chance to fulfill his promise! So, this Daionian Army you see is heading to the region of Messenia to drive out the Spartans who have occupied it for over a century, making Messenia the homeland of the Messenians once more!"

By the end of his speech, Tisias's voice swelled with passion, as if he had suddenly ignited a roaring fire within the hall. His words left the gathered citizens of Elis both shocked and thrilled. This news was staggering! The hegemon of the western Mediterranean, Daunia, had declared war on Sparta!

Why were the people of Elis thrilled? Were they not also members of the Peloponnesian League?

Elis was indeed a member of the Peloponnesian League. However, ever since the King of Sparta, Agis (Leotychides's father), led an army into Elis, defeated them, forced their submission, and annexed part of their territory, the people of Elis had steadily drifted away from Sparta. In subsequent military operations led by Sparta, the people of Elis contributed very little. To punish their disobedience, the Spartans even handed the hosting rights for the Olympic Games over to Elis's bitter rival—Pisa.

Within the Peloponnesian League, Elis was gradually being marginalized. What worried the people of Elis even more was that during the recent Spartan armistice conference, Elis was the second city-state—after Thebes—to refuse to sign the treaty. The treaty stipulated that all city-states must be completely independent, and the people of Elis absolutely refused to allow the towns under their control to gain independence. Because of this, Elis had also refused to participate in the previous oath-taking campaign convened by Athens. Consequently, Elis found itself dangerously isolated in the western Peloponnese Peninsula.

Therefore, during this period, when the people of Arcadia fell out with Sparta over the formation of their alliance, the people of Elis were overjoyed. Just a few days ago, they had specifically dispatched envoys to Megalopolis to express their support for the Arcadians. Now, the Kingdom of Daunia's declaration of war against Sparta undoubtedly acted as another powerful shot in the arm for them.

Amidst the boiling clamor, someone suddenly shouted at the top of their lungs, "Respected Daionian envoy, you just said the Kingdom of Daunia will allow the Messenians to rebuild their homeland. Who exactly are these Messenians you refer to?"

Tisias took a closer look and realized the speaker was the same person who had previously explained the origins of Tyndaris. Having a good guess at what the man was thinking, Tisias declared loudly, "All Messenian slaves enslaved by the Spartans living within Messenia and Laconia! All Messenians and their descendants forced into exile in other city-states! Our Sacred Kingdom of Daunia will recognize all of them as citizens of the newly established city-state of Messenia! Daunia welcomes them to return to the lands where their ancestors lived and rebuild a homeland that truly belongs to them!

"In fact, I myself am a Messenian. This time, I will see with my own eyes the Daionian Army drive away the Spartan bandits who have occupied our homeland for a century! I will personally liberate our brothers and sisters who have become helots, allowing them to regain their dignity and freedom, so that the land of Messenia may thrive once again in the hands of true Messenians!"

Upon hearing Tisias's words, that Council member's eyes suddenly turned red. Unable to hold back, he opened his mouth and began to sing:

"Beneath the high and rugged Mount Taygetus,

Flows the clear and gentle Pamisus River,

The majestic Rock of Ithome shields beautiful Messena,

Countless cattle and sheep run across lush plains,

While endless farmers toil in the fields..."

Tisias froze for a moment, then joined in the song:

"...The Spartans, like vicious wolves, seized our land,

Enslaving us as though we were cattle and sheep,

We bear heavy burdens, crushed beyond endurance,

While their cruel leather whips lash without pause;

From the harvest born of our hard-tilled soil,

More than half is stolen by these vicious thieves..."

At that moment, several more Elis Council members joined in, singing with profound emotion:

"...O gods of Olympus,

If you are willing to shelter Messenia,

I will be like the hero Aristodemus,

Sacrificing my own daughter, then fighting to the death;"

"O gods of Olympus,

Please bestow your protection,

I will be like Aristomenes,

Fighting unceasingly my entire life.

As long as my people can find salvation,

I am willing to endure every hardship,

Covered in wounds, and left with nothing..."

By the end of the song, the voices of those seven or eight men had completely drowned out the commotion in the hall. Tears streamed down the faces of everyone present.

Ever since the fall of Messenia, this song—composed by an unknown author—had been quietly sung among the enslaved Messenian populace. It ensured that the Messenians who had fled their homeland and scattered across the Mediterranean Sea would forever remember the bitter suffering of their ancestors.